Supporter.



C. F. BENNETT.

SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25.

Patented 0ct.10,19 16.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

c. F. BENNETT.-

Patented 001. 10, 1916 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED 11,111.25. 1914.

CHARLES F. BENNETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SHARP & SMITH, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SUPP ORTER. r

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed March 25, 1914. Serial No, 827,105.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county'of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Supporters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements insupporters and is fully described and explained in the specification andshown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of my 1mproved device; Fig. 2 is a similar view from the back; Fig.3 is a similar view, but showing the parts stretched to the positionwhich they occupy in use; Fig. 4 is a view sim lar to Fig. 2 of amodified form of construction, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of a secondmodification.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, 6 is a waistband of elasticmaterial such as 1s commonly used in devices of this character. In thepreferred form of construction, the pouch is formed of two strips ofmaterial 7 and 8, sewed together bya seam 9, crossed over each other andcontinued upward and attached to the belt.

The parts so far enumerated are not substantially different from thecorresponding parts well known, and they operate generally in the mannerset forth in the decision of Sharp &, Smith vs. Physicians &. SurgeonsAppliance Co, 17st Fed. Rep, 424-, and obviously can be modified as setforth therein. The present device, however, dif fers from prior devicesin that the two strips 7 and 8 which, in the preferred form ofconstruction, constitute the pouch-front, are separated at their upperends and attached to the upper edge of the belt, or waist-band, andpreferably lie inside of the same. In any event the lower edge of thewaist-band is not attached to the pouch, except ng at its center, andjust at the point where the two pieces 7 and 8 begin to separate. Atthat point, which is a point of great strain, a reinforcing piece 9 isapplied and the lower edge of the belt is there attached to the pouch.This reinforcing piece 9 serves as a convenient means for applying atrademark to the device, and also, for displaying the patent marking,and since some such label must be used in any event, it is desirable toput it at this point of greatest strain where it can be utilized forreinforcmg purposes.

his device differs from its predecessors 1n several respects. Itsoperation is, of course, generally similar in that the parts are held inposition in an elastic pouch, the sides of which are under greatertension than the center. By reason of this extra tension at the sides,one of the weak points of prior devices has been the extreme lateralstrands of elastic in the pouch portion. These have tended to give waylong before the rest of the device was worn out with the result that theessential operative property of lateral tension and medial fullness waslost and the structure ceased to hold the parts in the desired position.In the present device the effective elastic length of the lateralstrands in the pouch portion is about three inches greater than in its"predecessors by reason of the fact that the strips are attached to thetop of the belt instead of the bottom. The highest strain, therefore, isdistributed over these long strands and they are more durable. This isparticularly useful with reference to the strands on that side which ispulled away from the body when it is desired to remove or re-arrange theparts. In the prior devices this has necessitated stretching the elasticpractically to its limit, while with the present de vice the elastic isso much longer as to suffer no material detriment from such treatment.

Any disadvantage which might be anticipated from the increased lengthis, in the preferred construction, offset by the fact that the beltoverlies the pouch and, therefore, although the desired pouch is free toyield longitudinally, it is held tight against the body at the loweredge of the belt. These advantages are manifestly of considerableimportance.

Another weak point in devices which have been in use heretofore is thebelt, which, in many cases, is worn out even before the pouch. This isparticularly true of that part of the belt between the pouch and thethigh circlets. In the prior devices, the

lower edge of the belt has been rendered substantially non-elasticthroughout the entire width of the pouch and throughout the width of thethigh circlets. Since these parts are usually made three inches inwidth, twelve inches of the bottom of the belt has been inelastic andthe stretch had to be taken up by the remainder thereof.

It is to be noted too, that in a device of this kind, owing to the swellof the hips, the heaviest tension is on the bottom rather than on thetop of the belt. In the present device, because of the fact that thepouch is sewed only to the top of the belt, six inches of the upper edgeand six inches of the lower edge only are made non-elastic, and there istherefore a much greater effective elasticity in the belt with obviouslyadvantageous results.

Another point of considerable importance is that the pouch flares apartat its upper end and, therefore, as the belt contracts in width when putunder tension, the operative and exposed part of the pouch isconsiderably wider than in prior devices. This flaring of the pouch isclearly shown in Fig. 3. It is believed to be a matter of considerableadvantage to attach the lower edge of the belt to the pouch under thereinforcing piece 9 because otherwise, as the belt is put under tension,its lower edge tends to draw up lea"- ing an opening through which someof the parts may protrude, or which may at least pinch the parts in anuncomfortable manner.

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 4, all the advantagesheretofore set forth inhere, the only difference in construction beingthat instead of merely tacking the lower edge of the belt to the pouchunderneath the reinforcing-strip 9, the two parts 7 and 8 have theiradjacent edges sewed to the belt with a diagonal stitching as shown at10, this stitching being of such a character as to permit stretching tooccur along its line.

In the form of construction shown in Fig. 5, the two parts of thepouchare joined together their entire length, the structure being otherwisesimilar to that here shown. Obviously, in this structure the flaring ofthe upper part of the pouch does not occur. Furthermore, the non-elasticpart of the top edge of the belt is all one continuous sixinch stretch,instead oftwo separate threeinch stretches with an elastic part between.The device is not, therefore, believed to be quite as satisfactory, butit possesses most of the advantages heretofore set forth and istherefore far superior to the prior art structures.

It has the further advantage, that if desired, in this structure, theentire pouch may be made of a single piece of material, thethigh-circlets then being made separate and sewed on. Vhile this istheoretically possible with the other devices, it would involve cuttingthe wider front piece and, therefore, it is considered preferable tomake the other devices of two separate pieces, as described in detail.With this device of Fig. 5, how ever, the question as to whether twonarrow pieces sewed together, or a single wide piece, properly gored,shall be used for the pouch, is simply a matter of tailoringconvenience.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of theconstruction herein shown, and I do not intend to limit myself thereto,except as pointed out in the following claims, in which it is myintention to claim all the novelty inherent in the device as broadly asthe state of the art will permit.

I regard as new and Letters Patent 1. A supporter having a belt, a pouchand thigh circlets connecting the lower end of the pouch to the belt,the upper end of the pouch being attached to the upper edge of the belt,andthe lower edge of the belt being attached to the pouch at its centerand being free therefrom throughout substantially the width thereof,whereby the elasticity of that part of the lower edge of the belt abovethe pouch is retained.

2. A supporter having a belt, a pouch and thigh circlets connecting thelower end of the pouch to the lower edge of the belt, the upper end ofthe pouch being attached to the upper edge of the belt and the loweredge of the belt being attached to the pouch at its center and beingfree therefrom throughout substantially the width thereof, whereby theelasticity of that part of the lower edge of the belt and above thepouch is retained and the amount of belt rendered inelastic by theattaching of the pouch and thigh circlets thereto is substantially equalat the upper and lower edges of the belt.

3. A supporter having a belt, a pouch and thigh circlets connecting thelower end of the pouch to the belt, the upper end of the pouch beingattached to the upper edge of the belt, and the lower edge of the beltbeing attached to the pouch at its center and being free therefromthroughout substantially the width thereof, whereby the elasticity ofthat part of the lower edge of the belt above the pouch is retained, thebelt lying outside of the upper part of the pouch to hold the same snugagainst the body.

4. A supporter having a belt, a pouch and thigh circlets connecting thelower end of the pouch to the lower edge of the belt, the upper end ofthe pouch being attached to the upper edge of the belt and the loweredge of the belt being attached to the pouch at its center and beingfree therefrom throughout substantially the width thereof, whereby theelasticity of that part of the lower edge of the belt and above thepouch is desire to secure by retained and the amount of belt rendered Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set inelastic by the attaching of thepouch and my hand this 23rd day of March, 1914:.

thigh eirclets thereto is substantially equal a at the upper and loweredges of the belt, the CHARLES BENNETT belt lying outside of the upperpart of the In presence of two subscribing witnesses: pouch to holdthesame snug against the A. C. FIsoHER,

body. D. C. THORSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

